1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a backlight assembly, and, more particularly, to a backlight assembly having a reduced number of parts for easy assembly.
2. Related Art
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are commonly used examples of flat panel displays (FPDs). Generally, LCDs include two panels having a plurality of electrodes and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the panels. LCDs adjust the amount of light that is transmitted through the liquid crystal layer by applying voltages to the electrodes so that liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer can be rearranged.
Typically, LCDs include a backlight assembly which provides light that is transmitted through a liquid crystal layer. A backlight assembly includes a plurality of lamps, a plurality of sockets, and a bottom chassis.
Conventionally, a socket, which is used to house and fix the lamp onto the bottom chassis, has a plurality of parts. In the manufacture of a conventional LCD having an array of lamps, an alignment plate is additionally needed to fix a plurality of sockets which are respectively connected to the lamps on the bottom chassis. In this case, in order to assemble a backlight assembly, the alignment plate is fixed onto the bottom surface of the bottom chassis, the bottom chassis is turned upside down, and then the sockets and the lamps are fixed to the alignment plate.
However, since the sockets include a plurality of parts, it is somewhat time consuming and costly to assemble the sockets. Further, it takes a long time to assemble a backlight assembly due to the number of processes required to fix the alignment plate to the bottom chassis and to fix a plurality of sockets and lamps onto the alignment plate. Moreover, lamps are highly likely to be either detached from the sockets or damaged when an external shock is applied.
Thus, there is a need for a backlight assembly having an improved structural design that provides a reduced manufacturing time.